Grades 5-8 Summer Reading Program
We recommend that students who are entering grades 5 through 8 continue to read as they have
done during the school year. Reading allows students to put the skills learned in the classroom
into practice. Three suggestions for incoming 5th/6th and 7th/8th grades are given. We
recommend that students pick at least one of the books to read and complete the attached poster
assignment. Students that complete the poster on the book they choose will receive a grade for
the project and it will count as an extra test grade. Even though this is optional, it is the school’s
recommendation that students read and complete the assignment in order to reinforce their
reading and comprehension skills that are so important to their academic development.
5th and 6th Grade Summer Reading List:
1. The Case of the Horrible Swamp Monster, by Drew Stevenson
When the sixth grade decides to film a monster movie as a class project, the camera reveals
something unexpected.
2. The Water Castle, by Megan Frazer Blakemore
Ephraim Appledore-Smith is an ordinary boy, and up until his father’s stroke, he lived an
ordinary life. But all that changes when his family moves to the Water Castle, their ancestral
home in the small town of Crystal Springs, Maine. Mallory Green’s family has always been the
caretakers of the Water Castle -- and the guardians of its mysteries. She’s been raised to protect
the legend of the Fountain. But ever since her mom left, she’s stopped believing in magic. Will
Wylie’s family has been at war with the Appledores for generations, all because of the Water
Castle’s powerful secrets. But Will has rejected legend and magic, putting all of his faith in
science. When Ephraim learns of the Fountain, he’s sure finding it can cure his dad. With
Mallory and Will’s help, the trio embarks on a mission that brings them deep into their families’
shared history, through every secret room in the Water Castle, and on a quest that will blur the
lines of magic and science, creativity and discovery.
3. Magic in the Outfield, by Loren Long and Phil Bildner
Griffith, Graham, and Ruby's father passed away in the war. And now they must join their
mother and their father's wartime traveling baseball team, The Travelin' Nine, on a tour of
America to raise money. No one will tell the kids why the team needs money so badly. Their
only clue is a baseball with a hole the size of an acorn in it that their Uncle Owen gave to them
the night of their father's funeral. They know very little about its significance except that their
father made it with his own two hands and carried it with him throughout the war. And when all
three kids hold the ball, strange things begin to happen...the children begin to learn the ball is
magic.
7th and 8th Grade Summer Reading List:
1. Steelheart by Brandon Sanderson
Ten years ago, Calamity came. It was a burst in the sky that gave ordinary men and women
extraordinary powers. The awed public started calling them Epics. But Epics are no friend of
man. With incredible gifts came the desire to rule. And to rule man you must crush his will.
Nobody fights the Epics... nobody but the Reckoners. A shadowy group of ordinary humans,
they spend their lives studying Epics, finding their weaknesses, and then assassinating them.
And David wants in. He wants Steelheart -- the Epic who is said to be invincible. The Epic who
killed David's father. For years, like the Reckoners, David's been studying, and planning—and
he has something they need. Not an object, but an experience. He's seen Steelheart bleed. And
he wants revenge.
2. The Screaming Staircase by Jonathan Stroud
When the dead come back to haunt the living, Lockwood & Co. step in . . .
For more than fifty years, the country has been affected by a horrifying epidemic of ghosts. A
number of Psychic Investigations Agencies have sprung up to destroy the dangerous apparitions.
Lucy Carlyle, a talented young agent, arrives in London hoping for a notable career. Instead she
finds herself joining the smallest, most ramshackle agency in the city, run by the charismatic
Anthony Lockwood. When one of their cases goes horribly wrong, Lockwood & Co. have one
last chance of redemption. Unfortunately this involves spending the night in one of the most
haunted houses in England, and trying to escape alive.
Set in a city stalked by spectres, The Screaming Staircase is the first in a chilling new series full
of suspense, humor, and truly terrifying ghosts. Your nights will never be the same again.
3. Between Shades of Gray by Ruta Sepetys
In 1941, fifteen-year-old Lina is preparing for art school, first dates, and all that summer has to
offer. But one night, the Soviet secret police barge violently into her home, deporting her along
with her mother and younger brother. They are being sent to Siberia. Lina's father has been
separated from the family and sentenced to death in a prison camp. All is lost.
Lina fights for her life, fearless, vowing that if she survives she will honor her family, and the
thousands like hers, by documenting their experience in her art and writing. She risks everything
to use her art as messages, hoping they will make their way to her father's prison camp to let him
know they are still alive. It is a long and harrowing journey, and it is only their incredible
strength, love, and hope that pull Lina and her family through each day. But will love be enough
to keep them alive?
Between Shades of Gray is a riveting novel that steals your breath, captures your heart, and
reveals the miraculous nature of the human spirit.
School Year 2014-2015 Summer Reading Poster Rubric
Directions: Your task is to read one book from the list given and create a poster with 5 sections based on the 5 main criteria given
on the rubric below.
Criteria for Each
Section of the
Poster:
20 – Exemplary
19 – Above
Average
18 – Average
17 – Below
Average
16 – Needs
Improvement
Task #1: Title of
the book and
author.
Title of the book
and author name
demonstrated
clearly at the top
of the poster
Title of the book
and author listed,
but not clearly
Title of the book
or author name
missing
Title of the book
or author name
missing
Title of the book and
author name not
given
Task #2: Create a
plot diagram.
All of the
following are
properly defined:
Missing 1 part of
the plot diagram
Missing 2 parts of
the plot diagram
Missing 3 parts of
the plot diagram
Missing 4 or more
parts of the plot
diagram
1.exposition
2.rising action
3.climax
4.falling action
5.conclusion
Task #3: List the
main characters.
Lists 5 or more
characters from
the book
Lists 4 characters
from the book
Lists 3 characters
from the book
Lists 2 characters
from the book
Lists 1 character
from the book
Task #4: Pick 5
vocabulary words
you did not know
before reading
the book and
define.
5 vocabulary
words are written
and definition is
given
4 vocabulary
words are written
and definition is
given
3 vocabulary
words are written
and definition is
given
2 vocabulary
words are written
and definition is
given
1 or less vocabulary
word(s) are written
and definition is
given
Task #5: Draw
your favorite
scene and write
3-5 sentences
describing the
drawing.
Scene drawn with
3 or more
sentences below
Scene drawn with
2 sentences
below
Scene drawn with
1 sentence below
Scene drawn
without
sentences
Scene and
sentences missing
Total Score: ____/ 100